Blackjack side bet on different suited cards

ABSTRACT

A method to implement a side wager for a casino wagering game such as blackjack. If the player gets cards with four different suits, the player wins a payout. In one embodiment, the player can choose his or her first suit and the player then must get three cards with all different suits. The player can also win a payout if the player gets three additional cards of the same suit as the first chosen suit. A layout which includes four betting areas, one for each suit, can be used so that the player can indicate his or her first choice of suit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present general inventive concept is directed to a method,apparatus, and computer readable storage medium directed to a side betthat can be used with casino blackjack.

2. Description of the Related Art

The game of blackjack is known in the art. Side bets have beenintroduced which attempt to induce the player to place more bettingaction in the hopes of generating additional entertainment for playersand additional revenue for casinos.

The game of Paduki is a popular poker variant in which the players' goalis to make a hand comprising four cards of different suits.

What is needed is a new and entertaining side wager for blackjack thatincorporates aspects of the Paduki game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an aspect of the present invention to provide an exciting casinogame.

The above aspects can be obtained by a method that comprises (a)providing a physical gaming table; (b) providing to a player a set ofbetting circles comprising a heart betting circle, a spade bettingcircle, a diamond betting circle, and a club betting circle; (c)receiving a main wager from the player; (d) offering a side wager to theplayer for a chosen suit chosen by the player, the side wager beingplaced by the player in a corresponding betting circle out of the set ofbetting circles for the chosen suit; (e) dealing three designated cardsfor use with the side wager for the player on the gaming table; (e)providing predetermined rules for the side wager comprising a) if thethree designated cards and the chosen suit are all different suits thenthe player wins a first payout on the side wager; (f) resolving the sidewager, if placed, in accordance with the predetermined rules; and (g)completing the blackjack game in accordance with predetermined blackjackrules.

These together with other aspects and advantages which will besubsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as thestructure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention,will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the followingdescription of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of implementing ablackjack side wager, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of determining awinning side wager, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3A is a drawing illustrating a gaming table, according to anembodiment;

FIG. 3B is a drawing illustrating a betting layout for an individualplayer, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4A is a block diagram illustrating exemplary hardware that can beused to implement an electronic version of the methods described herein;and

FIG. 4B is a drawing of an electronic suit generating device, accordingto an embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferredembodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to likeelements throughout.

The present inventive concept relates to a method, apparatus, andcomputer readable storage medium to implement a blackjack side bet. Thecasino game of blackjack is well known, for example see U.S. Patentpublication 2003/0155715 which is incorporated by reference herein inits entirety.

In general, casino blackjack is played by one or more players at agaming table against a dealer. The idea is for the player to make apoint total closest to 21 without going over 21 (busting). Each player(after making a main wager) is dealt two initial cards (typically faceup) and the dealer is also dealt two cards (one face up—the upcard, andone face down—the hole card). The player can stand on his or her initialtwo cards, or continuously hit (take another card) until the playerstands or the player's point total is over 21 (upon which the playerautomatically loses). If the player has not busted, then after theplayer stands the dealer will play out the dealer's hand according topredetermined rules. One set of dealer predetermined rules is asfollows: the dealer will continuously hit until the dealer's point totalis greater than 16. Once the dealer has resolved the dealer's hand, thewager is resolved. If the player has busted then the player loses (themain wager). If the player has not busted but the dealer has busted (thedealer's point total is over 21) then the player wins (wins even moneyon the main wager). If both the player and the dealer have not busted,then if the player's point total is higher than the dealer's point totalthen the player wins (wins even money on the main wager). If both theplayer and the dealer have no busted, then if the dealer's point totalis higher than the player's point total then the dealer wins (the playerloses the main wager). If the player's point total equals the dealer'spoint total, then the main wager pushes (neither wins nor loses). Otheroptions the player may have at his or her disposal is to double down orsplit. Cards are given their standard numerical value (i.e., aces countas 1 or 11 (whichever makes the best hand), 2's-10's count as theirrespective face value, jacks, queens, and kings all count as 10).

The side wager is an optional wager that the player makes when theplayer is making the main blackjack wager. The side wager can be of anyamount, or in one embodiment the casino may cap the side wager at amaximum bet (e.g., $50). The player is betting that four differentindicia will be all different suits. The indicia can be on fourdifferent cards designated for the purpose of the side bet. The indiciacan also be on three different cards designated for the purpose of theside bet along with an initial suit chosen by the player before any ofthe designated cards are dealt (or revealed).

For example, the four designated cards can be the player's two initialcards and the dealer's two initial cards. These cards are also used inthe blackjack game. As is known in blackjack, the dealer deals aplayer's initial two card hand (typically both face up) and a dealer'sinitial two card hand (typically one face up and one face down). It iswhen all four cards are revealed (i.e., the dealer's face down card isrevealed) that the side wager can be resolved. If all four cards aredifferent suits, then the player wins a payout on the side wager. Forexample if the suits on the four cards are:hearts/clubs/diamonds/spades, then because the player has a “Paduki” theplayer wins a first payout. In an embodiment, if the player achieves allfour of the same suit (e.g., four spades) then the player also wins apayout (typically of a different amount than the Paduki payout).

In a further embodiment, instead of using four dealt cards, threedesignated cards can be used along with an initially chosen suit chosenby the player. For example, the player can be presented with a set ofbetting area (such as that illustrated in FIG. 3) wherein the player canchoose to place his or her side wager (in the form of chips) in a spadebetting area, a heart betting area, a diamond betting area, and a clubbetting area, which of the four areas is at the choice of the player. Inan embodiment, the player would be allowed to play more than one of thebetting areas simultaneously (e.g., the player can play from 0-4 bettingareas). The betting area chosen by the player to place his or her chipsinside is considered the chosen suit. This will be used as the player'sfirst suit and is done before the player has viewed any of thedesignated cards. Then the player can be dealt his or her initial hand(comprising two cards) and the dealer can be dealt his or her initialhand (comprising a visible up card and a downcard). The three designatedcards used to evaluate the side wager will be the player's two initialcards and the dealer's upcard. If the three designated cards all matchthe same suit as the chosen suit then the player has a paduki and wins apayout on the side wager. If the three designated cards do not all matchthe chosen suit then the player does not have a paduki. Thus, forexample, when a player chooses a chosen suit (either hearts, diamonds,clubs, spades) then all of the three designated cards have to match thechosen suit for the player to have a paduki (which wins the player apayout on the side wager).

Table I below is an exemplary paytable that can be used with theembodiment wherein the player chooses a chosen suit. Of course, otherpayouts can be used and this is merely one example.

TABLE I PAY- HAND # p OUT p*PAYOUT Four diff. suits diff. rank 471744.09410 6 0.56459 Four same suits diff. rank 75816 .01512 17 0.25709 Fourdiff. suits same rank 2808 .00056 35 0.01960 Four same suits same rank260 .00005 200 0.01037 Other 4462692 .89017 −1 −0.89017 1.00000 H/A3.8513% Std. Dev.: 3.37835 Hit Freq: 10.922%

For example, if a player chooses hearts as the chosen suit (and placeshis or her side wager in the hearts betting area), then if the threedesignated cards (the player's initial two cards and the dealer'supcard) are all of different suits (e.g., diamonds, clubs, spades) butof different ranks, then the player wins a payout of 6:1 (i.e., if theplayer bet $1 the player wins an additional $6 for a total of $7 tokeep), this is “four different suits different rank” from Table I. Ifthe three designated cards are of all different suits and the same rank(e.g., three 7's or three kings) then this is considered four differentsuits with same rank for a payout of $35 (this is “four different suitssame rank”) from Table I). It is noted that there is no rank associatedwith the betting areas (only a suit associated with each betting area),thus the player needs to match three ranks of the designated cards towin the same rank bonus.

If the player chooses hearts as the chosen suit and the three designatedcards are hearts (but of different rank), then this is considered “foursame suits different rank” in Table I and the player wins a payout of$17. If the player chooses hearts as the chosen suit and the threedesignated cards are hears of equal rank, then this is considered “foursame suits same rank” in Table I for a payout of $200.

While in the above examples hearts was the chosen suit, it can beappreciated that the player can chose any of the four suits as thechosen suit (by placing a chip in the corresponding betting area) andthe paytable illustrated in Table I can be used. “Different suits” meansthat the three designated cards plus the chosen suit are all differentsuits, and “same suits” means that the three designated cards plus thechosen suit are all the same suit.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of implementing ablackjack side wager, according to an embodiment.

The method can begin with operation 100, which receives the side wagerfrom the player. If the embodiment being implemented uses four cards,then a single side wager betting area is used to receive the player'sside wager. If the embodiment being implemented uses three cards with aplayer's initial choice of suit, then a set of betting areas (such asillustrated in FIG. 3B) can be used to receive the side wager. The mainblackjack wager can also be placed during this operation. Multipleplayers typically pay simultaneously at a blackjack table, and eachplayer can place their own respective side wager.

From operation 100, the method proceeds to operation 102, which dealsthe initial player's hand and the initial dealer's hand. The initialplayer's hand is typically dealt using two face up cards (although inanother embodiment they can be dealt face down). The initial dealer'shand is typically dealt one card face up (the up-card) and one card facedown (the hole card).

From operation 102, the method proceeds to operation 104, whichdetermines whether the player has a predetermined combination which winsa payout on the side wager. For example, a paytable such as Table I canbe used to list a number of predefined winning conditions. All initialcombinations which do not qualify as a winning condition would beconsidered a losing side wager.

If in operation 104, the player has a winning predetermined combination,then the method proceeds to operation 106, which pays the player apayout based on the side wager (typically a multiple of the side wager).

If in operation 104, the player does not have a winning predeterminedcombination, then the method proceeds to operation 108, wherein theplayer loses the side wager and the side wager place by the player inoperation 100 is taken by the house.

From operation 106 or 108, the method proceeds to operation 110, whichcompletes the blackjack game using known blackjack rules and resolvesthe main wager.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the side wager can be resolvedbefore the blackjack game is completed and the main wager is resolved.In another embodiment, the side wager would not be resolved until after(or at the same time of) the main wager is resolved.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of determining awinning side wager, according to an embodiment. Operations 200-206 are amore detailed view of operations 104-108 from FIG. 1.

If in operation 200, the player has four different suits (clubs, hearts,diamonds, spades) on the four designated indicia (either four designatedcards or three designated cards plus the chosen suit as indicated by theindicia on the betting area used by the player to place his or herchips), then the method proceeds to operation 204 wherein the playerwins the side wager (with a payout determined by a paytable).

If it is determined in operation 200 that the player does not have fourdifferent suits, then the method proceeds to operation 202, wherein itis determined whether the player has four same suits (either fourdesignated cards or three designated cards plus the chosen suit asindicated by the indicia on the betting area used by the player to placehis or her chips), then the method proceeds to operation 204.

If in operation 202 the player does not have four same suits, then themethod proceeds to operation 206, wherein the player loses the sidewager.

It is noted that in the embodiment where four cards can be used for thedesignated cards, the four cards can be one of: a) the dealer's twoinitial cards and the player's two initial cards; b) the player's twoinitial cards and the dealer's upcard and the first card dealt after theplayer's two initial cards are dealt; c) the player's two initial cardsand the dealer's upcard and the card dealt immediately before theplayer's first initial card is dealt; or any other combination of fourcards used in the blackjack game. The designated cards used to resolvethe side wager should be predefined and cannot be randomly chosen oncecards are dealt on the table. In a further embodiment, amechanical/electronic suit generator can be located on the gaming tableand used to generate a suit. The suit generator can for example be adice that is rolled by the dealer (e.g., an 8 sided dice with eachunique suit on 2 sides), a wheel that can stop with equal probability onindicate of one of the four suits, an electronic display that willdisplay a randomly chosen suit by an electronic random number generator.Thus, the player's initial two cars plus the dealer's upcard plus thesuit on the suit generator can be used to resolve the side wager. Thesuit on the suit generator can be used with a same paytable as in TableI. For example, if the player is dealt as his or her initial hand: 3spades/5 spades and the dealer's upcard is 10 spades and the suitgenerator generates a suit of: spades, then the player has a paduki andwins a payout of 6:1.

FIG. 3A is a drawing illustrating a gaming table, according to anembodiment.

A physical gaming table 300 has seven individual betting layouts toaccommodate seven players simultaneously (although of course any numberof players can be accommodated at a single table such as 1-10). Aplayer's initial hand 302 and a dealer's initial hand 301 is shown.

FIG. 3B is a drawing illustrating a betting layout for an individualplayer, according to an embodiment.

A main wager betting circle 310 is used to place the main wager. Themain wager is dependent upon the outcome of the blackjack game, and canbe subject to further wager(s) such as doubling down, splitting, etc. Aset of four side wager betting areas, a club betting area 311, a heartbetting area 312, a diamond betting area 313 and a spade betting area314. The player would choose which suit the player wishes as his or herchosen suit and place their chips (the side wager) in the correspondingbetting area. The player can player any number betting areas as he orshe wishes (from 0 to 4 in any combination).

Some examples will now be presented of how this game would work. Jimplaces a $5 main wager on blackjack and a $1 side wager in the ‘hearts’box (see FIG. 3B). Jim is now dealt (as the player's initial blackjackhand) a 2-hearts/3-hearts and the dealer's upcard is 10-hearts. Jim wins(according to Table I) a payout of 17:1 or $17 on the side wager. Theblackjack game would then continue (the player can win or lose the $5main wager on the blackjack game, it would not affect the side wager).If the three cards all had the same rank (e.g., all 7's) then Jim wouldhave won a 200:1 payout on the side wager.

Another example will now be presented. Jim places a $5 main wager and a$1 side wager in the ‘spades’ box (see FIG. 3B). Jim is now dealt asJim's initial blackjack hand a 2-spades/10-diamonds and the dealer'supcard is a jack-spades. Jim loses the $1 side wager (since all fourindicia are not the same suit). The blackjack game now continues.

Another example will be presented. Jim places a $5 main wager and a $1side wager in the ‘spades’ box (see FIG. 3B0. Jim is now dealt a2-diamonds/4-hearts and the dealer's upcard is a 8-clubs. Jim has apaduki (the suits of all four indicia are different) and thus Jim wins a6:1 payout ($6) on the side wager. The blackjack game now continues. Ifthe three cards all had the same rank, then Jim would have won a 35:1payout on the side wager.

A further example will now be presented of the embodiment which uses asingle betting area for the side wager and an electronic suit generatingdevice. Jim places a $5 main wager and a $1 side wager (only one sidewager betting area is provided). The dealer deals Jim a2-diamonds/4-hearts and the dealer's upcard is a 5-spades. The dealernow activates the electronic suit generating device which displaysclubs. Jim has a paduki (since the suits of all 4 indicia are different)and wins a payout of $6. The other payout options (such as those inTable I) are all still available in this embodiment, for example if theranks of all three cards were the same, then Jim would have won a 35:1payout on the side wager. The main blackjack game now continues.

FIG. 4A is a block diagram illustrating hardware that can be used toimplement the wagering methods, according to an embodiment. The hardwarecan be, for example, an electronic gaming machine (EGM) used in casinos.The hardware can also be a personal computer, playing the game using theInternet at an Internet casino for real money.

A processing unit 400 (such as a microprocessor and any associatedcomponents) is connected to an output device 401 (such as an LCDmonitor, touch screen, CRT, etc.) and an input device 402 (e.g.,buttons, a touch screen, a keyboard, mouse, etc.) The processing unit400 can also be connected to a network connection 403, which can connectthe electronic gaming device to a computer communications network suchas the Internet, a LAN, WAN, etc. The processing unit 400 is alsoconnected to a RAM 404 and a ROM 405. The processing unit 400 is alsoconnected to a storage device 406 which can be a DVD-drive, CD-ROM,flash memory, etc. A computer readable storage medium 407 can store aprogram which can control the electronic device to perform any of themethods described herein. The processing unit 400 can also be connectedto a financial apparatus 408 which can receive cash and convert thereceived cash into playable credits for use by the player when playingthe electronic device. When the player decides to cash out any remainingcredits, the financial apparatus 408 can issue coins or a cashlessticket (voucher) for the remaining credits which is redeemable by theplayer.

FIG. 4B is a drawing of an electronic suit generating device, accordingto an embodiment.

In the embodiment where one of the four indicia is generatedelectronically, then a device such as illustrated in FIG. 4B can beused. In this embodiment, only one betting area is used (instead of thefour illustrated in FIG. 3B) for the side wager, wherein the fourindicia can be selected from the player's two cards, the dealer'supcard, and a suit displayed on the electronic suit generating device.

The suit generating device 410 can be a handheld device that can sit ontop of the gaming table 300. The internal hardware can be similar tothat illustrated in FIG. 3A, although there is no need for the networkconnection or the financial apparatus. The processing unit would executeinstructions to pick and display a random suit out of the four possiblesuits. A LCD (or other output device) 411 can be used to output therandom suit. A button 412 (or other input device) can be pressed by thedealer which will instruct the processing unit to generate and display anew random suit. Not pictured is an on/off button.

The side wager described herein can also be played as a main gameinstead of a side wager in blackjack as described above. For example,the player makes a wager on four designated indicia (as describedherein) which pays using a paytable such as that illustrated in Table I(thus in this embodiment there is no simultaneous blackjack game).

The side wager described herein can also be used as a side wager forother games besides blackjack, for example THREE CARD POKER (describedin U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,916 which is incorporated by reference herein inits entirety), LET IT RIDE (described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,081 whichis incorporated by reference herein in its entirety), or other games.For example, the game described herein can be used for THREE CARD POKERin a same manner as blackjack. The player can be presented with fourside wager betting areas (as illustrated in FIG. 3B) and the player'sthree card hand (dealt to each player) is used in the same manner as theplayer's initial two card hand plus the dealer's upcard (in theblackjack embodiment) in order to resolve the side wager. For LET ITRIDE, the player can also be presented with the four side wager bettingareas and each player's three card hand is also used in a like manner.

It is noted that the methods described herein are typically played witha single deck of cards, although in other embodiments more than one deckcan be used (from 1 o 10 decks). Cards can be shuffled or a continuousshuffling machine (CSM) can be used. A standard deck of 52 cards can beused, as well as other kinds of decks, such as Spanish decks, decks withwild cards, etc. The operations described herein can be performed in anysensible order. Furthermore, numerous different variants of house rulescan be applied.

Methods described herein can also be played on a physical table usingphysical cards and physical chips used to place wagers. Such physicalchips can be directly redeemable for cash.

Initial cash deposits can be made into the electronic gaming machinewhich converts cash into electronic credits. Wagers can be placed in theform of electronic credits, which can be cashed out for real coins or aticket (e.g., ticket-in-ticket-out) which can be redeemed at a casinocashier or kiosk for real cash and/or coins.

Any description of a component or embodiment herein also includeshardware, software, and configurations which already exist in the priorart and may be necessary to the operation of such component(s) orembodiment(s).

Further, the operations described herein can be performed in anysensible order. Any operations not required for proper operation can beoptional. Further, all methods described herein can also be stored on acomputer readable storage to control a computer.

The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from thedetailed specification and, thus, it is intended by the appended claimsto cover all such features and advantages of the invention that fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, sincenumerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilledin the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exactconstruction and operation illustrated and described, and accordinglyall suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, fallingwithin the scope of the invention.

1. A method for implementing a side wager as part of a casino wageringgame, the method comprising: providing a physical gaming table and aphysical deck(s) of cards; providing to a player a set of betting areascomprising a heart betting area, a spade betting area, a diamond bettingarea, and a club betting area; receiving a main wager from the player;offering a side wager to the player for a chosen suit chosen by theplayer, the side wager being placed by the player in a correspondingbetting area out of the set of betting area for the chosen suit; dealingthree designated cards from the physical deck(s) of cards for use withthe side wager for the player on the gaming table; providingpredetermined rules for the side wager comprising a) if the threedesignated cards and the chosen suit are all different suits then theplayer wins a first payout on the side wager; resolving the side wager,if placed, in accordance with the predetermined rules; and completingthe casino wagering game in accordance with predetermined rules.
 2. Themethod as recited in claim 1, wherein the player places the side wager.3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the predetermined rulesfurther comprise that if the three designated cards and the chosen suitare all of a same suit then the player wins a second payout on the sidewager.
 4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the predeterminedrules further comprise that that if the three designated cards are thechosen suit are all of the same suit and the three designated cards allhave equal ranks then the player wins a third payout on the side wager,the third payout being higher than the second payout.
 5. The method asrecited in claim 2, wherein the predetermined rules further comprisethat if the three designated cards are all different suits and the threedesignated cards all have equal ranks then the player wins a fourthpayout on the side wager, the fourth payout being higher than the firstpayout.
 6. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the predeterminedrules further comprise that that if the three designated cards are thechosen suit are all of the same suit and the three designated cards allhave equal ranks then the player wins a third payout on the side wager,the third payout being higher than the second payout.
 7. The method asrecited in claim 6, wherein the predetermined rules further comprisethat if the three designated cards are all different suits and the threedesignated cards all have equal ranks then the player wins a fourthpayout on the side wager, the fourth payout being higher than the firstpayout.
 8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the predeterminedrules further comprise that if the player does not qualify for the firstpayout or the second payout or the third payout or the fourth payoutthen the player loses the side wager.
 9. A method to implement a sidewager for a casino wagering game, the method comprising: providing aphysical gaming table and physical deck(s) of cards; receiving a mainwager from a player and a side wager; generating four indicia used toresolve the side wager; determining if the four indicia are all fourdifferent suits, and if so, then paying the player a payout on the sidewager; and completing the casino wagering game.
 10. The method asrecited in claim 9, further comprising determining if the four indiciaare all four equal suits, and if so, then paying the player a payout onthe side wager.
 12. An apparatus to implement an electronic version of aside wager for a casino wagering game, the apparatus comprising: aninput device; an output device; and a processing unit configured tooperate with the input device and the output device, the processing unitexecuting instructions to perform: providing to a player a set ofbetting areas comprising a heart betting area, a spade betting area, adiamond betting area, and a club betting area; receiving a main wagerfrom the player; offering a side wager to the player for a chosen suitchosen by the player, the side wager being placed by the player in acorresponding betting area out of the set of betting area for the chosensuit; displaying three designated cards from the physical deck(s) ofcards for use with the side wager for the player on the gaming table;providing predetermined rules for the side wager comprising a) if thethree designated cards and the chosen suit are all different suits thenthe player wins a first payout on the side wager; resolving the sidewager, if placed, in accordance with the predetermined rules; andcompleting the casino wagering game in accordance with predeterminedblackjack rules.
 13. The apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein theplayer places the side wager.
 14. The apparatus as recited in claim 13,wherein the predetermined rules further comprise that if the threedesignated cards and the chosen suit are all of a same suit then theplayer wins a second payout on the side wager.
 15. The apparatus asrecited in claim 13, wherein the predetermined rules further comprisethat that if the three designated cards are the chosen suit are all ofthe same suit and the three designated cards all have equal ranks thenthe player wins a third payout on the side wager, the third payout beinghigher than the second payout.
 16. The method as recited in claim 13,wherein the predetermined rules further comprise that if the threedesignated cards are all different suits and the three designated cardsall have equal ranks then the player wins a fourth payout on the sidewager, the fourth payout being higher than the first payout.
 17. Theapparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the predetermined rulesfurther comprise that that if the three designated cards are the chosensuit are all of the same suit and the three designated cards all haveequal ranks then the player wins a third payout on the side wager, thethird payout being higher than the second payout.
 18. The apparatus asrecited in claim 17, wherein the predetermined rules further comprisethat if the three designated cards are all different suits and the threedesignated cards all have equal ranks then the player wins a fourthpayout on the side wager, the fourth payout being higher than the firstpayout.
 19. The apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein thepredetermined rules further comprise that if the player does not qualifyfor the first payout or the second payout or the third payout or thefourth payout then the player loses the side wager.